Single-cell algae are
mass-produced as an income source for modern desert settlers. The algae
can grow in relatively low-quality water, which is recycled. In large
ponds, the optimal biomass production rate cannot be improved. However,
in thin bioreactors (containers that can be meters long and high, but a
few cm thick), the optimal rate increases by about one order of
magnitude. Light hits the transparent wall of the container. As the
density of algae is extremely high, only a thin layer near the
illuminated wall is exposed to light. Most of the cells are in the
dark. They perform a random walk owing to turbulent motion induced in
the water by passing air bubbles. The purpose
of this research is to analyze the stochastic equations governing the
motion of cells in and out of the illuminated layer, and find its
effect on biomass productivity.